Words of Wisdom from Matt Finch re: Swords & Wizardry

I've been doing lots of Swords & Wizardry related reading today, making notes on anything that may need conversion to Swords & Wizardry Light. There are lots of quotable pieces amongst the three adventures I've read today, but the first one I'm quoting from is Grimmsgate by +Matt Finch , as can be seen above.

There are no formulas for creating the magic of a successful and entertaining RPG adventure, but sticking to the rules as written will certainly hamper any such attempts.

Creativity is the key.

This is one of the reasons I'm such a huge fan of Swords & Wizardry. Unique magic items crop up in adventures. Original monsters. All adding to the tapestry that is Swords & Wizardry. Swords & Wizardry is ever a living system, and I hope with Light, my coconspirators and myself can keep that tradition going strong.

Working Weekend Away - Beyond the Grimmsgate, 1975 Bones in the Hall

I'm still not 100% - we'll call it 51% ;)

Anyhow, Rach really wants to go to some lotion making class in Honesdale, PA tomorrow, so I find myself in the Poconos for the weekend.

I brought reading material, as you can plainly see in the pic above. I'll be making notes for any information needed to run these with Swords & Wizardry Light and posting such notes to the support page here at The Tavern (mostly magic items, spells and monsters not covered in the initial ruleset). No, the page isn't "live" yet as the rules haven't officially released yet.

I ran Grimmsgate a few years back, but they all need a reread. After these three comes Lost City of Barakus.

Alright, time for a lunch run, then reading and note taking...

Back in NYC Monday afternoon, so if you are looking to contact me in a timely manner, Facebook or G+ Hangouts is probably best. Limited email access on the phone.

It's Alive! Swords & Wizardry Light Proofs Exist!

Earlier today +Zach Glazar sent me photos of the local proofs for Swords & Wizardry Light. I am so stoked!

This isn't the main print run. These are the proofs for the run of copies for GameHole Con. God, I wish I was going to be there this year.

I can't wait to have it in my own grubby little hands ;)

Again, thanks to +Zach Glazar for listening to my "dumb little idea", to +Matt Finch for entrusting me with his "child", to +Bill Webb for saying "lets do this", to Rach for putting up with me in the midst of all this and to you, The Tavern's Community. Without all of you, this never would have happened. Oh, and +James Spahn , for the trouble we'll be causing in the future...

Okay, I'm going to succumb to a headache and stomach cramps now, but I'll do so smiling from ear to ear. Happy dance :)

Deal of the Day - Tome of Adventure Design - (Frog God Games / Matt Finch)

Tome of Adventure Design - how do I love thee?

Tome of Adventure Design is one of those rare "must have" releases. There are many things I'd like to have, TOE is one I had to have. I actually have it in PDF and Hard Cover (out of print currently I do believe). It is that good.

Normally the PDF runs $21. For the next 22 hours or so, its on sale for $8.40 - it is worth every penny.

Disclosure - Frog God Games will soon be releasing my Swords & Wizardry Light ruleset. I happen to really like most FGG products. Doesn't make Tome of Adventure Design any less awesome.

A fantasy adventure game, at its very heart, is about developing an open-ended "story" of the characters. The referee is in charge of the fantasy world, and the players direct the actions of their characters in that fantasy world. Neither the referee nor the group of players has complete control over what's going to happen, and the result is an evolving set of surprises for both the referee and the players. Unlike the players, as the referee and creator of the game world, most of your "work" is done ahead of time. To some degree or other, you have to create the groundwork for the adventure before the game starts. Even though no battle plan survives contact with the enemy - and if you're an experienced referee you know exactly what I mean - the game has to start ... with a starting point. This might just be a vague set of ideas, or it might be as complex as a set of maps with a detailed key and well thought-out encounters for the players to run into.

The Tome of Adventure Design is organized as a series of "books," each one providing resources at every step of the way. The vast majority of the content of each book is made up of random generation tables that we created over a quarter of a century (sigh) for our own use. It should be said up front that these are tables for deep design - in other words, most of them are too long, and contain too many unusual or contradictory entries, for use on the spot at the gaming table. There are already many excellent books of tables for use on the fly; the tables in these books are different. They work best as a tool for preparation beforehand, providing relatively vast creative resources for browsing and gathering, rather than quick-use tables designed to provide broad, fast brushstrokes. Our shorter tables tend to deliver cryptic results designed to shock the reader's creativity into filling in the gaps, whereas the longer tables are unusably vast for easy random generation, being designed to shock the reader's creativity into operation by presenting a sea of possibilities.

Remember, all purchases using The Tavern's OBS affiliate links puts 5% of your purchase price into The Tavern's coffers. Don't leave that money on the table for the greedy corps! Tip your barman!  ;)

A Far West F@ck You - There Will be a November Adamant Release, but it isn't Far West...

Let's see...

Last Far West project update - August 22nd

Last Far West random Sharka comment - October 3rd

Last Far West comment that actually had Far West relevance - September 9th

Last Far West Fuck You - today and every day

Far West - where the Fuck Yous just keep on coming!

Just think, back when we thought Con Crud was the big excuse the project was only a year late. The truth is worse - arrogance, obnoxiousness and downright incompetence.

Above video thanks to Andy G who linked it in the Far West KS comments

State of The Tavern's Barkeep - Sleep, Sinuses and More - Oh My!

Sunday night I passed out before 9 PM. Never even woke when Rach came to bed. Got up at 6 AM, made us breakfast and promptly slept again until 11 AM. I should have known something was going on.

Monday I had uncle duties starting at school pick up. All seemed fine until Monday night, when I had stomach cramps. Middle of the night run to the rest room and I was simply up from 330 AM to 8 AM. Fell back to sleep and had an immediate dream that was so f'n real - I was awake 15 minutes later in a sweat. It was similar to being naked in front of an audience, but I was clothed, it was a con, and... eh, never mind. Back to sleep until about 11 AM again.

This has been much of my week. Normality mixed with seriously annoying stomach issues. I'm putting my money on allergies and bad nighttime post-nasal drip being the root of my stomach issues. This too shall pass.

Did I mention the allergies have made me extra dopey?

Good news is I've been getting plenty of rest. Bad news is it's been in 2 to 3 hour blocks...

If you have been trying to reach me and I haven't responded, ping me again. Sooner or later I'll see it.

Got up at 530 AM today. Probably heading back to bed at 8 AM. Wheeeeeee!  heh

So, Who gets The Ready Ref Colored the Basic Rules Red?

I do love giving stuff away. Rach loves it too, as my gaming collection keeps growing and I am loath to downsize it. Giving away some of the duplicates I've collected over the years doesn't hurt and keeps the collection from growing too fast ;)

So, who gets a copy of the Ready Ref Sheets, a beat up copy of the D&D Basic rules and a Swords & Wizardry Coloring Book?(you do live in the US I hope ;)

Timothy, step forward! Email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing. Let me know if you want it inscribed "From the Tenkar Games Collection, 2016"  (please tell me you live in the states ;)

I'll need a valid US mailing address. Shipping won't happen until probably Monday, October 31 (this is for all packages - unless I find something else to giveaway tomorrow.)

Remember, by backing the current Swords & Wizardry Complete KS for a buck you are in line to get some sweet loot in PDF ;)

Help Save a Cat - Maybe Win some signed DCC RPG!

Guest poster +David Baity 

Hey everyone. I had planned on selling this elusive gem of a book for some time now, but a visit to the local PetSmart a couple of weeks ago gave me a better idea.

Three ladies run "KitsnKats Rescue" a no kill shelter for all things feline in my area. I've walked by these folks countless times in the past, because seeing homeless cats always kicks me right in the feelz.

A lot of us own shelter pets, and as I was picking up litter, I started wondering how many of us would have never met our awesome fuzzy companions had someone not of taken their own time and money to keep them alive.

I immediately walked back to the entrance, grabbed a buggy and proceeded to fill it with food to purchase with the intent of leaving it for the shelter.

The astonished look on their faces was a little odd to me until I learned they really don't get much in the way of substantial donations. These three wonderful ladies travel to shelters that put animals down, and actually take the sick ones home, along with those with little chance of adoption. They feed and shelter them in addition to taking them to the Vet, just so they have a fighting chance.

I've made the decision to return with food and litter once a month to continue helping out. One way I'm doing this will be to auction off something I have that you might want 😋 which is why I'm putting this limited edition gold foil book up for grabs as my first sacrifice to all things moggy. It has a little wear on it, and some signatures from special folks who make DCC so special for us!

I'm asking for PayPal donations in the amount of 1.00 for a chance to win it on 10/31 where I'll randomly determine the winner. Multiple dollars will increase your odds, and I'll figure out a fair way to pick a winner by the end of the month. Every penny will go to KitsnKats rescue, and I'll share a pic of the loot I drop off when I make the trip.

Donations can be made to:

MysticMousersATgmail.com

PLEASE HELP ME BY SHARING THIS POST!!

Love,

The Baconne Veezard 

Back to your bartender. I'll sweeten the deal. The Tavern will match the first $100 in donations made by members of this very generous community. Just post your donation in the comments below. On the off chance The Tavern gets the prize in question, we'll give it away to a random member of the community (US Only - the book is a beast and shipping is a killer outside the states)

Our very own Ashley is a shelter cat, and she endorses this message!

Erik Tenkar

WWII: Operation WhiteBox has Hit the Beach!

+Pete Spahn 's long awaited WWII: Operation WhiteBox has released in PDF (dead tree to follow soon behind)

Full disclosure - Pete showed me the work in progress of WWII: Operation WhiteBox months ago. I was still actively working and I read this at my desk on the overnights. It read well then and looks amazing now. Seriously, if you want to get your feet all muddy and your uniform all bloody, your couldn't ask for better. Pete's research is well done - this isn't a hack job by any measure. I'll get a review up, hopefully in the next week or so, although my plate is fairly full at the moment.

Here's the blurb to help you decide:

WWII: Operation WhiteBox is a roleplaying game of WWII special forces action designed for compatibility with the Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox roleplaying game. 

In WWII: Operation WhiteBox, the player characters (PCs) play the role of WWII special forces operatives. They may be formally trained and part of an officially designated special forces unit such as the SAS or U.S. Army Airborne, or they may simply be guerilla fighters dedicated to making life hard for the German Army. They may also be covert agents working for organizations such as the SOE or OSS. Whatever their affiliation, their job is to complete missions behind enemy lines, paving the way for the next Allied advance.  

WWII: Operation WhiteBox is a standalone game that uses the Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox rules as its base. In addition to standard gameplay rules, the game contains the following:  

CHARGEN: This includes Attributes, Nationality, Rank, Profession, etc. 

NEW CLASSES: Eight new classes including the Charmer, Combat Engineer, Grunt, Maquis, Sniper, Tactician, Wheelman, Uberlaufer, each with their own unique abilities.  

GEAR AND WEAPONS: A list of typical WWII weapons and gear. Weapons are statistically grouped by function (Large Rifle, Small Handgun, Submachinegun, etc.) with some named examples to add flavor (M1 Garand, Derringer, MP40, etc.). 

PLAYING THE GAME: Rules for Saving Throws, Surprise, Reaction Rolls, Movement, etc. 

PERSONAL COMBAT: Rules for "theater of the mind" combat including new rules for automatic weapons, using cover and concealment, and explosives.  

VEHICLE COMBAT: Rules for "theater of the mind" vehicle combat (basically the same as personal combat) and vehicles grouped and statted out (Small Truck, Medium Tank, Small Aircraft, etc.) with named examples to add flavor (Kubelwagen, M4 Sherman, Brirish Spitfire, etc.).  

GAMEPLAY EXAMPLE: A gameplay write up to show some of the new concepts in action.  

COMMON NPCs AND ANIMALS: Stats and descriptions for civilians, soldiers, and common European animals.  

COVERT SPECIAL FORCES EQUIPMENT: Descriptions of some real world equipment designed and/or used by special forces during WWII.  

THE WWII CAMPAIGN: This chapter gives an overview of the different theaters, major events of the different time periods, and lots and lots of tips for running a WWII campaign.  

SPECIAL FORCES IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER: An overview of various Allied special forces units such as the SAS, LRDG, OSS, etc., resistance organizations such as the French Maquis and the Norwegian Milorg, an German special forces units such as the Brandenburgers. This chapter also runs down how to design a special forces mission as well as the different types of missions commonly undertaken.  

WWII TIMELINE: A chronological timeline of major WWII dates and events. 

HISTORIC WWII SPECIAL FORCES ACTIONS: Contains a brief description of real world historical missions undertaken by units like the British Commandos, Jedburghs, etc. 

RESISTANCE AT THE PONTEVILLE BRIDGE: A sample mission deep in Normandy.
MINI-SETTINGS: Nazi Superscience, Nazi Occult, and Nazi Space elements to liven up your game! 

PURCHASE THE PDF NOW AND RECEIVE A DISCOUNT ON THE UPCOMING PRINT VERSION!

Remember, all purchases using The Tavern's OBS affiliate links puts 5% of your purchase price into The Tavern's coffers. Don't leave that money on the table for the greedy corps! Tip your barman!  ;)

Tavern Chat Tonight - 9 PM Eastern - Hang Out with the Cool Kids

Is it Wednesday again? I've lost track. Between Uncle duties, a cold, a stomach virus and assorted going ons, I've lost track.

If it is Wednesday, then tonight is Tavern Chat. 9 PM Eastern time.

Tavern Chat is that chat box on the right side of this page. You log in with the social media account of your choice. Its old school, kinda like AOL without the viruses and ads.

Who will be in the chat tonight? Damned if I know...

See you tonight ;)

Kickstarter - Fantasy Adult Coloring Book Gaming Art

Now, if it said Adult Fantasy, it might be something totally different ;)

Adult coloring books are "a thing" these day, and it doesn't mean porn. Instead, the art is more intricate and challenging. You wont be using the crayons of your youth but colored pencils instead.

So, what do I think of the Fantasy Adult Coloring Book Gaming Art KS? I like it. The art samples look damn good and I could see Rach or myself spending hours with this. Or even Pinky, the precocious nearly six year old that wants her uncle to teach her how to read so she can play Dungeons & Dragons.

I'm in for 3 books.

If I have a complaint it is this: Printable PDF is $10. Print is $12. There is no Print and PDF version available to back at. Ah well.

Halloween Sales at RPGNow - Spooky! ;)

RPGNow is running a 31% off sale for Halloween. Lets find some treats and avoid the tricks...

Current bestseller (and that changed as I typed this) on the RPGNow Halloween Sales list is The Cthulhu Hack at $2.06. Hacks of the Black Hack are "the thing" these days but this might be a nice, simple alternative to CoC. Unformed Realms for the Cthulhu Hack will set you back $1.69

Not sure how Fat Goblin Games The Master Player's Adventurers Journal made the sale list as there is nothing spooky about it, but their Journal series of releases have been pretty god so far. $2.04 

Delta Green: Agent's Handbook - Delta Green is the shit. Seriously. If you want to shoot up Lovecraftian evil as you go insane (instead of just going insane) this is how to do it. $13.79

Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea - This is the first edition. The 2nd edition is currently Kickstarting. The is an excellent option for OSR Swords & Sorcery. $6.90. All the AS&SH Adventures are on sale too. They are an excellent assortment of adventures no matter the OSR system of your choice.

vs. Ghosts is Ghostbusters with the serial numbers scratched off. It comes in at $6.87

Achtung! Cthulhu: Keeper's Guide and the rest of the line is part of the sale. WWII Mythos for the win $15.86


Cryptworld is also on sale. Its a fun time to play the horror genre. It's the Chill system you knew when you were younger. $5.49

I'm sure there are more, but there are over 4k titles in the mix. I may dig deeper later.

Remember, all purchases using The Tavern's OBS affiliate links puts 5% of your purchase price into The Tavern's coffers. Don't leave that money on the table for the greedy corps! Tip your barman!  ;)

Flash Giveaway - 48 Hours - The Ready Ref Colored the Basic Rules Red

Today we're giving away a copy of the Ready Ref Sheets, a beat up copy of the D&D Basic rules and a Swords & Wizardry Coloring Book.

Here's the rules:

1 - I'm only shipping to the US, but anyone can enter. If the winner is randomly picked from outside the states, they will get a $10 RPGNow Gift Certificate.

2 - You need to leave a comment below to enter. Thats pretty much it.

   2a - You could go to the Swords & Wizardry Complete 3rd Printing KS and back for a buck, which gives you the rules in PDF and all the stretch goals in PDF (currently Strange Bedfellows, the new cover as an art poster and Deck of Treasure) This also allows you to choose in Print add ons. If you do back, add a comment to the KS page stating to the effect that The Tavern sent you ;)

3 - Your comment must be made prior to 1230 PM Eastern Time, Thursday, October 27rd, 2016

Good luck :)

edit - obviously 2a is completely optional ;)

note - cat NOT included and shown only because she would not leave the picture

FYI - no packages have shipped yet. I am trying to minimize trips to the post office. They will either ship this weekend or next Tuesday, depending on whether or not I find more to gift.

Jack Chick is Dead at 92(91?)

Some will say Jack Chick should have died years ago. The way I see it, his time came when it was meant to come - right when RPGs and Dungeons & Dragons in particular are seeing a resurgence in popularity.

I hope that Jack finds the peace in the afterlife that seems to have escaped him in life.

Crypts and Things Remastered available in Print (Swords & Sorcery OSR / S&W Variant)

Crypts and Things Remastered is now available in Print. I have the hardcover (I backed the KS) and it is a thing of beauty. I'd review it but free time is short with some support work being done for the impending release of Swords & Wizardry Light (sooner than later, but not soon enough and yet too soon ;)

PDF is $13

Softcover with PDF is $26

Hardcover with PDF is $40

Crypts and Things (C&T) is a Swords and Sorcery Roleplaying game based upon the Old School Rules of the 70s/80s. It also draws upon the British fantasy games and game-books of that period to bring a distinctly dark and dangerous feel to the game.
It was originally released back in early 2012 and after a highly successful Kickstarter in 2015 it returns in a Remastered edition, with revised and expanded content and completely new art by David M. Wright. 

Contents 

Introduction : An overview of the book. 

The Scrolls of Wonder 

The Player's section of the game, which explains how to create and play the character who will be the player's alter ego in the game. 

-Creating a Character: Guidelines for creating the player's fictional alter-ego in the game.
-Character Classes: Nine character archetypes for players to choose from. Four Core (Barbarian, Fighter, Sorcerer, Thief) and five exotic (Beast Hybrid, Disciple, Elementalist, Lizard People and Serpent Man).
-Life Events: Quick background events tables which briefly detail the character's origin and what they did before adventuring.
-Spell Lists: Black, Grey and White Magic, plus Elemental Magic.
-How to Play: The game's simple and straightforward rules.
-The Continent of Terror: A brief overview of the game's included setting.
-What the Elder Told Me: Each of the eight human cultures of the setting detailed in ten questions and answers from a young adult to a respected elder about their worldview. 

The Book of Doom 

This is the referee's section of the book. 

-Secrets of the Continent of Terror: A deeper view of the setting for referee's, with adventure seeds and encounter tables.
-The Greater Others and their Works: Three of the terrifying Greater Others and their followers detailed for use in play.
-Snake Dance: A closer look at the society of the insidious Serpent Men.
-Scourges of the Dying World: Five evil nemeses to thwart and oppose the player characters.
-Ill Gotten Gains of Dark Desire: Treasure and perilous magic items.
-A Compendium of Fiends: Dark and deadly monsters to populate your adventures with.
-The Halls of Nizar-Thun: An introductory underground adventure.
-The Haunted Lands: An introductory wilderness adventure.
-Port Black Mire: A fearsome city detailed for urban adventures.
-Notes from the Abyss: A compilation of articles and resources to aid the referee.

Deal of the Day - GM's Miscellany: Urban Dressing II (System Neutral Edition)

The GM's Miscellany series is the sandboxing / improving GM's friend. GM's Miscellany: Urban Dressing II is no exception - it's a damn good resource to have at the table when your party decides to hit the local town.

I personally think picture often tell a story better than words, but in this case, I'll be using a picture OF words ;)

That's just half of the table of the Borderland Town: Sights and Sounds. Some of these entries might spark an adventure of their own.

Normally $13.99 in PDF, for the next 23 hours GM's Miscellany: Urban Dressing II (System Neutral Edition) is on sale for $6.99 - 1/2 off. Print plus PDF is $11.98 (print is normally $16.99 on its own) Eve though I have the PDF I am tempted to pick up a print copy at this discounted price. It is that useful at the gaming table.

Remember, all purchases using The Tavern's OBS affiliate links puts 5% of your purchase price into The Tavern's coffers. Don't leave that money on the table for the greedy corps! Tip your barman!  ;)

Help The Frog God Redefine Philanthropy!

+Zach Glazar asked me to add to the bandwidth of a very worth cause. I'm already backing for $35 myself :)

The new face of philanthropy has arrived! The Frog God wants his friends, fans, and enemies to help. Extra Life has a quest to help children's hospitals. You are not against those are you? The Frog God isn't. He loves Children...

The event is a 24 hours marathon game of Rappan Athuk (in 5e no less). Donations can be made to me (Zach Glazar) or to any member of Team Tadpole!

Find out much more at the following link....

http://www.extra-life.org/participant/froggod

So, who gets The Ogress Hacks the Black Quests of Doom...

I do love giving stuff away. Rach loves it too, as my gaming collection keeps growing and I am loath to downsize it. Giving away some of the duplicates I've collected over the years doesn't hurt and keeps the collection from growing too fast ;)

So, who gets  Quests of Doom 3, in Print, for Swords & Wizardry. I backed the KS and found myself receiving two copies instead of one. Yes, it was given away prior, but the winner was outside the States, so here it is again. Additionally, we have a print copy of The Black Hack and a print copy of The Ogress of Anubis fromNew Big Dragon Games (free in PDF) (you do live in the US I hope ;)

William Dowie, step forward! Email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing. Let me know if you want it inscribed "From the Tenkar Games Collection, 2016"  (please tell me you live in the states ;)

I'll need a valid US mailing address. Shipping won't happen until possibly Wednesday as I have a few more things to give away (and have given away) and would like to make as few trips as possible to the post office.

Remember, by backing the current Swords & Wizardry Complete KS for a buck you are in line to get some sweet loot in PDF ;)

Kickstarter - Embers of the Forgotten Kingdom (Systemless / Multi-System Sourcebook)

So, how can something be both systemless and yet offer to support: "D&D 5th Edition, Pathfinder, Shadow of the Demon Lord, OSR/AD&D, Cypher System , Dungeon World , FATE, Savage Worlds & 13th Age?"

The secret of Embers of the Forgotten Kingdom is the print book is systemless but the PDF versions support specific systems. Actually, if you support at lest at the PDF level, you get the systemless PDF PLUS two system specific PDFs of your choice.

That's pretty damn cool.

So, the above is what you get in your printed book and the break down with stats comes in the PDFs.

And yes, I'm a sucker for good art :)

Just a few hours left.

Swords & Wizardry Light Design Notes - Why There are No Magic Items Listed in the Core Four Pages

"In old school games, magic item creation was virtually impossible. This made magic items rare to an extreme, and created situations where a single + 1 sword was a huge treasure... magic items should be very scarce in Swords & Wizardry games. The power level of both characters and monsters is quite low compared to other versions of the game." - +Bill Webb , Hall of Bones - A note about Magic Items and Magic Item Creation.

When I was deconstructing Swords & Wizardry White Box to its bare bones to rebuilt it as the lean four pages soon to be known as Swords & Wizardry Light, my main desire was to present a ruleset that could be easily comprehended on a quick read through. That meant not only keeping it simple but leaving out "stuff" that was not immediately needed.

If magic items are rare, then a magic item shopping list is not only not needed for levels 1 through 3, it's probably detrimental to gameplay. Magic items should be introduced via adventures. They should be unique, even if they share abilities in common. Sure, all + 1 swords do plus 1 to hit and to damage, but one glows with a dull blue light when wielded and was used by Gragnut The Damned, the Orcish Chieftain who fought the party to the death. Another glows a bright yellow when wielded and was found in a treasure hoard guarded by Ztzaaath the Wyvern. The party still talks of the encounter and the piles of silver they carried away.

Not including magic items also saved space (and limiting yourself to 4 pages makes every word a valuable commodity). This is why we'll be asking those that plan to write adventures for SWL to give a sentence or two describing any magic items your adventure introduces. I'll be going through Hall of Bones, Grimmsgate and MCMLXXV in the next week or so to prepare cheat sheets to use them with SWL (mostly looking for magic items, spells and monsters that aren't in SWL) before moving on to Lost City of Barakus.